Number 51:ReTry
by Talantur
Summary: Failure… Years of hard work, tears and blood wasted made naught in but a few minutes. A single action and here I am, having lost everything, in the middle of Literal Nowhere. Yet…yet I cannot let it go. I must try again, I cannot give up now. I don't care what I'll have to do, fight another war, destroy yet another world… Nothing matters, I cannot back down.
1. Gate:Dream Awake

ATTENTION: This is a sequel. Reading this without reading the first one will be confusing at least, downright difficult at most. Here's the link to the story before: s/10817689/1/Number-51

Note: Welcome, old/new readers. Unlike Sekirei, I am - unfortunately - much less well-versed in Type Moon. I will ofc be taking some liberties and what not, but if you think I've done goofed, please PM me. Or leave a review, that works too. Actually, just review regardless if I done goofed or not, reviews are nice to have.

Note: I'll try to keep the world and characters true. If someone is OOC - PM ME - I appologize. True, they should/would grow through the story but if I just introduced someone and they act nothing like they should, it's probably my error.

Warning: Read comments/reviews at your own peril as always for - I am sure - spoilers abound.

Apology: Still no Beta so mistakes will slip in.

* * *

I sat on the edge of crumbling concrete, one foot hugged to my chest while another swayed slowly in the abyss below. All around me the buildings of Shinto Teito stood, wrecked and shattered, most nothing more than blackened skeletons of what I remember them being. Even the MBI Tower I sat upon was in considerable disrepair holding but clearly only just. I absentmindedly looked at the myriads of soul orbs whose pale blue light from their flames was the only source of illumination in this world.

I blinked and stared at the snowflake that landed on my nose, stirring up painful memories. Archive sacrificed himself to awake me once more… This light snowfall that became a permanent fixture in my Inner World was the only thing left of the one who was there with me from the very beginning and the one who stayed with me to the end and beyond. He even managed to somehow keep my Tama together long enough for it to solidify back into a physical state. Truly, a miracle.

Yet…Yet here I sat, simply watching the endless vortex of souls amidst the gently falling snow. I couldn't bring myself to come outside for there was nothing there. The first few days after awakening I tried to push all of my thoughts into one goal: Living. Living, for Archive, living to make his sacrifice mean something. I've spent days, maybe weeks…or what I think was days and weeks, time is strange here. I cannot actually tell a second apart from a year, there is literally Nothing, no relation in the void I could use. For all I know, Time doesn't actually exist here. Just the endless river of souls who come and use me as a Gate to the afterlife.

Archive had too much faith in me. I could not find a way out of this prison that Archive called the Space Between Worlds. I was stuck here, simply watching the snowflakes dance with the blue soul orbs in my Inner World. Outside new souls came and went, leaving their energy behind with me. It was…amusing, really. The amount of power I had accumulated was insane; I've never felt anything like it. Even now, more and more kept pouring in. Even when my Tama shattered, literally releasing an Ocean of energy within it, it was nothing compared to this. If that was an ocean, then this in comparison was a gas giant full of liquid.

I was practically a Goddess and, knowing what I did, I guess I am the Goddess of Death for this world? No… I don't think so. After all, I am just a ferrywoman who takes payment before sending the soul on its final journey. It makes me wonder though, why do all of these souls come to me? In an ever increasing number too. If at first it was 1 by 1, now it's practically a never-ending river. If anything, the last time I looked, I was reminded of a black hole sucking in myriads of light blue orbs that came in from all directions. Well, if one was to replace the black hole with an incredibly bright blue star that is – a side effect of constantly absorbing soul's energy to open a gate to the other side. Hah, after so much practise I bet I could flicker like Miya, opening and closing my Gates in an instant with practically no thought.

Still, does this world not have its own system of returning souls to the other side? Why do they flock to me? Questions for which I pursue answers… Philosophy, one of the very, very few things I had left in this endless void. I couldn't communicate with the souls, I've tried so many, many times. I couldn't move anywhere, stuck in one spot. I couldn't…I couldn't really do anything. I just sat there, watching the snow fall and thought on philosophical questions. Ha… A goddess sitting in black melancholy, just watching endless snow…how amusing. When was the last I even bothered to look outside? I…I really couldn't tell anymore…

Hmm? What's this? I looked up, into the endless black hole that was one of the very few things left unchanged in my Inner World. I could feel…something, approaching me. It was…well, I guess like seeing another star approach? This soul had a vast amount of energy compared to everything I've seen so far. Yet, it was dwarfed compared to me and the gigantic vortex of souls I accumulated. It was almost as if a large red moon approached a blue planet. Still, it was new and interesting, so I waited, my attention focusing on the approaching star. The lesser souls, tiny specks of dust in comparison, parted way for it in a hurry, but closed ranks almost instantly afterwards, still intent on reaching me. Closer and closer it came until it was practically upon me.

I felt growing disappointment when it simply stopped and nothing happened. I almost gave up watching it when finally a small strand erupted from the guest and slowly reached out to touch me. It was a…odd experience to say the least. I really had no analogue for this feeling. I wouldn't say it was bad nor good…simply, neutral. I watched with interest as the strand grew into a thick rope, wondering just what will happen.

Suddenly, I realized that I wasn't alone here anymore. Someone else was here with me now, somewhere far below on the shattered streets. Did this soul somehow manage to get into my Inner World? How fascinating! I could barely wait to meet it! I almost even got up to head out towards it but then I realized that it began moving towards me…slowly. For a while I fought with myself, should I meet it or wait for it? On one hand, it was the first contact in gods knew how long! On the other…it was far smaller than me after all, shouldn't I simply wait? It came to me after all and I got literally all the time in the world now…now that I am dead.

In the end, I simply stayed sitting, looking at the calming snowfall, feeling the intruder come closer and closer as they climbed the stairs up the skyscraper tower. As they approached, I studied them, interested in finding out what it was, why was it different from all the other souls. I was different because an uncountable number of other souls game pieces of themselves as payment for the passage, making me 'swell up' in a sense. After all, at one point in time I was only slightly bigger than them in size. This one seemed not only much bigger than an average soul but also…thicker? Denser? Yes, that much be it. Denser. But even in this field I was abnormal. Whereas normal souls were like balls of wispy gas, quickly scurrying around and where the intruder was like a heavy liquid, moving slowly but incredibly dense… My Tama, the core of this mess that is me now, is a solid crystal. The fact that Miya managed to shatter it is a testament to her God-like power rather than a Tama's weakness.

That being said, I actually don't know how the intruder sees me as. Or if my guesses are correct, for all I know being solid like is horrible. Uhm, beyond not being able to move that is.

I was almost startled when someone cleared their throat behind me, so deep did I go into analysis and what not. I turned my head to find a…human male? No, seriously. I died, Archive brought me across dozens of worlds and I've spent gods know how long sitting here only for the first one to come talk to me be a human? What the actual hell? Is this an alternate version of Earth or something or did humans somehow evolve and reach here where ever here was? No… He doesn't look like he's from the future; if anything, those clothes look quite ancient in design and style. Well, let's test something shall we, I decided as I began to survey him.

So… roughly prime, maybe late 20s, early 30s? A small, accurate beard on his chin and a neatly trimmed moustache. Surprisingly vivid red eyes, with short hair only a tone or 2 darker. Very pale skin…and that's about it. The rest was covered by what looked like a black suit… Well, it roughly looked like a black suit; much like a sedan looks roughly like a bus. The white gloves give him a look vaguely resembling a Renaissance gentleman though…well, not quite. Eh, whatever. He can look however he wants, I doubt it matters much.

"Hello, fair Lady." His voice was surprisingly…normal. With the rest of his appearance I could probably call him a man of European origins. The fact that he spoke to me in English made sigh however. I mean, seriously? We are gods know where and the first person I talk to speaks English? True it had a weird accent to it and what not but hey, my English was far from ideal too. Kind of wish he spoke Japanese or Russian though, my English is a bit sketchy…

"Who are you?" I asked calmly, not even bothering to get up, the surprise too great. Thankfully, the man seemed to not care much more beyond a raised eyebrow. Or maybe it's my heavily accented English which, thanks to Archive, was more Russian influenced then Japanese.

"I am but a traveler who has lost the way home and is trying to get back." The man seemed…well, I didn't really expect a straight answer anyway.

"Hah, join the club." I laughed mirthlessly and then explained to solve his puzzlement. "I also lost the path home. And I can't even try looking for it, I am stuck here."

"Stuck?" The man looked interested. "Yet you have so much power… for a moment I mistook you as an entrance to Akasha with all of the souls around you."

"What do you do with them anyway?" He asked carefully, his posture seemingly neutral. Not that it mattered, I may be immobile but he is already here. One of the few things I could do was play around with my newly gained power. I lost interest after realizing that it won't help me get back home but if I wanted to the struggle would be…brief.

"They come to me and I send them to the other side after payment." I decided to answer vaguely. No reason in telling crucial information to some stranger after all. Everything I've said so far anyone with half a brain and some eyes could see. If he managed to puzzle out my abilities from this little then I'll tip my non-existent hat to him but telling him directly… I don't know him well enough to do so. Not to mention, he looks sketchy as hell.

"What is this…other side?" I frowned as I considered what to answer. This 'Traveler' looked in equal ways awed, wary and disbelieving for some reason.

"To the place where all dead souls go, sooner or later." I finally answered. Truthfully, I myself didn't really know exactly what was on the other side of the Gates I opened. Back in my world the Gates merely led to the Spirit Realm. Here though…in the Gap Between Worlds? I don't know, I can only guess.

"The Gate to Akasha…" The man looked awed as if he suddenly saw a wonder beyond imagination before himself.

"Huh?" I raised an eyebrow at his actions, gathering up my power to crush the man who looked like he was about to dive me. Thankfully, the mere threat of complete annihilation quickly sobered him up and the 'Traveler' placed his hands up in a stopping gesture.

"Wait a moment, I merely lost my composure!" He hurriedly spoke. "It's just that entire epochs searched for you and for me to find the Gate to Akasha here, in the middle of nowhere was incredibly…incredible."

"Entire epochs?' I said, slowly releasing the power I gathered, confused. "I've been here...that long?"

"Huh? Haven't you been here since the beginning of time?" The man's expression grew puzzled. "I mean, since you're the Gate to Akasha, the Root which is the beginning and the end and everything in between, I'd think you'd be here since before beginning too."

"Uh…are you confusing me with someone?" I was genuinely confused and lost now, what the hell was this guy talking about? "I am Sekirei Number 51, Rei, the Reaper, Lieutenant of the Disciplinary Squad. What is this Akasha you speak of?"

"Number 51? Disciplinary Squad? Sekirei?" The man scratched his bearded chin in puzzlement, staring at me. "I've never heard of such things… the Reaper yes, but…hmm…"

"Although, maybe they are simple different names…" He mused further. "The Reaper, that one should easy, its Death. Makes sense with her job. The Disciplinary Squad…hmm…Sekirei, number 51, interesting…"

I simply watched, interested in what kind of a conclusion he'll reach as the man paced around, thinking aloud. It looks like this sketchy guy really doesn't like answering questions. About himself, about this Akasha thing. The Beginning and the End and Everything Between. I don't know anything that could be that, the Spirit Realm is…is simply the Spirit Realm. Even this Gap Between the Worlds can't be it because apparently my Gates lead to it. Just what the hell is this guy talking about…

"Number 51…" The man suddenly stopped and turned his head to look at me. "Type Sekirei, Number 51. Disciplinary Squad… Squad of beings called in by Gaia to Discipline Humankind! Lieutenant though… if the Reaper, a direct Gate to Akasha is the Lieutenant, just who is the commander?"

Great, now he's throwing more terms at me. What the hell is a Type? And Gaia? I am beginning to find my patience wearing thin…

"Yes, this makes sense." I watched, keeping my features stone still, hoping that his musings will actually explain something and not make more questions. "Gaia's call went wrong in this world and that's why I and Type Mercury arrived too early while you, Type Sekirei somehow failed to materialize at all, stuck here, on the very edge of immaterium."

"It's strange though…" He sighed, as he restarted pacing again. "Why 51? Why Reaper? Gaia's call was intended for other planets of this system."

"Look," I decided to intervene, having lost thread of this conversation entirely. "I came from another world, through the Endless Void. Chances are-"

"That you are from another realm or dimension entirely." He cut in, looking like he had an epiphany. "Gaia's call didn't go beyond the system after all! If one thinks about it, concepts are part of the system too. Hence why Death was called. But then why 51? Where are the others? I doubt more will come after you, Death is final after all."

I sighed, unsure what to do. Honestly, I think this 'Traveler' is a quite a bit nuts. Would make sense, he's been here gods know how long and I really wonder if he had a chance to talk to someone aside from me after his death. Should I humour his delusional fantasies or try to set him straight?

I thought on it for a moment before turning away from the man so he doesn't see my cruel, self-deprecating smile. Who was I kidding? I needed some company, insane or not. Because, if I was stuck here forever, I might as well be stuck here and not be alone rather than face infinity alone. I shuddered at the thought. So…let him delude himself. It is proving to be more amusing then staring blankly at my Inner World after all even if I didn't understand practically everything he said. It's not like he's trying to hurt me or anything with his delusions.

"To think that Gaia would call so many to deal with but a single threat…" My attention drew once more to the pacing man. If he keeps this up, he might eventually wear a circle through the concrete, I thought as I turned sideways to see him and the entertainment he provided better.

"Is Humanity really that powerful?" He muttered quietly, only my absolute dominance of the world around us letting me hear him. "Out of the millions I've seen, few showed anything at all and only 1 was able to stop me. One out of millions…is that something worth sending 51 most powerful beings and concepts in existence after?"

"I have no idea who this Gaia of yours is," My voice startled the man as he turned to me. "But who ever they are, they do have the right idea."

"Humanity's greatest strength has always been adaptability." I turned my gaze back onto the never-ending snowfall, Archive's knowledge and memories at the front of my mind. "The ability to survive and thrive Anywhere. The ability to overcome anything and everything, no matter the challenge. Given time, they would ascend and transcend even beyond Gods."

"And that's why so many answered the call…" The man muttered. "Thousands of years ago, it was but a single man out of millions. Now though? What a scary thought…"

"Humankind is like an unstoppable force." I felt a twisted smile grace my lips once more, making the man standing beside me frown. "A force without a vector, with simply the vaguest idea of what it wants. Your Gaia needn't have called. Without a purpose, Humanity will destroy itself just fine."

"My…Captain, wanted to be the Vector of that Force." I decided against letting him know the name of my…my love. Even now, my heart ached at the mere memory of my family I was ripped away from. I glanced up to see that I had the man's utmost attention before continuing.

"I was one of the first to see their potential, to argue that their destruction, as my Captain wanted, was a waste. In time, I swayed the rest of the Disciplinary Squad to my side – we would control the Humans, guide them in a proper direction, be the Vector of their Force." I hesitated for a moment, unsure just what I should say and what I should withhold for now. "But I was…ripped away from their side at the very edge of our victory. I was unable to stand by their side at the time of their triumph."

"And here I wound up," I gestured vaguely to the void above. "Stuck, unable to go back to them or go forward to your world."

"I… I think I understand." The man sighed and sat down beside me. "You're not one of the Aristoteles called by Gaia. At least, not this world's Gaia."

"I raised an eyebrow, willing him to continue, to finally explain this gibberish he has been sprouting.

"Your Disciplinary Squad was called in to discipline Humankind and at the time your Captain decided that destruction would be the best way." He said slowly, his hand stroking his bearded chin. "But then you saw something… something that made you think that another path existed. Another way to discipline the Humans."

"Hmm….close enough." I shrugged. Sure, I wanted to save Humankind from the very beginning but the rest… the rest of his hypothesis was quite accurate, surprisingly enough.

"You know…" He laughed softly. "You and I are quite similar."

"Oh?" I even began to hope that he'll finally say something about himself. So far, although he was the one with the most talking, it was I who shared the most information about myself.

"Yes," He nodded. "We, the Aristoteles, were called in by Gaia – the Spirit of the World – to discipline mankind too. Although her plea was more of a call for destruction, but then again, it could've just been my perception of the whole thing that warped the original message."

He fell silent for a few minutes and I waited patiently. After all, what were a few minutes to an eternity? He is finally starting to explain things! And apparently, this world is alive with a spirit of its own. Now that's a scary thought… Although… Hmm, maybe not really. Apparently, it cannot directly kill you if you piss it off. Hell, I could see why the planet would want to kill all humans but the fact that it can't do it itself is… Perhaps there's hope yet.

"I and another Aristotele arrived too early." The 'Traveler' broke me out my musings as he spoke once more. "Although Mercury decided to sleep until the appointed time, I instead decided to travel the world and witness these humans for myself."

"At first I was…disappointed." He frowned. "They were weak, cruel, pathetic creatures whose only gaol seemed to cause as much damage as they could to everything around them, each other included. In my travels, I've only met a handful…a mere handful of the hundreds of thousands I've seen who serve only as the exception to underline the general statement. I've saw nothing that could make me even doubt that Gaia's call was unwarranted."

"Tell me, Rei." He asked, curiousity clear in his voice. "Just what did you see that made you believe that humanity deserves anything more then complete and utter annihilation? Just like you, I died before seeing our victory with the rest of the Aristoteles. Unlike you though, I've never seen anything…worthy come from Humans. Nothing to make me thing that devastation wasn't the only option."

"Tell me, Traveler," I stated slowly, my eyes on the endless horizon. "Have you ever see children? Human babies, just born?"

"I've seen human infants, yes." His voice carried wary surprise.

"Then tell me," I turned my eyes to him. "Are they born being able to sprint? Are they born as great philosophers, thinkers, creators? Can a baby assemble a nuclear bomb, even if it had all parts and tools, mere hours after birth?"

"No-"

"Tell me, traveler," I bulldozed straight through his reply. "Who teaches the babies what is right, what is wrong? Who is their source? Who is the source of their source?"

"I see." The man fell silent, this time for what felt like hours, his facial expression constantly changing and his hands twitching at times. I merely waited, staring at the frosted landscape with souls intermingling with the slowly descending snowflakes. My arguments… I've had a lot of time to think on them, being stuck here. I've had more than enough time to think over my life, cheer at my victories and pull apart my defeats. Celebrate the happy times and brood over my mistakes. I mean, not really much else to do here, stuck in the middle of nowhere as I was.

"You have definitely given me something to think about." The man finally stated, his voice even. "Tell me though… You are stuck here, a mere footstep away from my world. You have already failed once, what would you do once you arrive?"

"First of, I didn't fail – my fall ensured the victory of the Disciplinary Squad. Of course, we would've won eventually but," I took a deep breath. "Anyway, I'd find a way to go back. Back to stand by my…captain's side. By my team's side."

"Is that all?" The man asked in surprise, shifting to turn towards me completely. "You would just leave?"

"This isn't my world." I stated plainly. "I don't care for it."

Silence stretched once more and I found my thoughts drifting to my family once more. Painful it may be to think of their loss, but they were far too important to me to even consider forgetting. My poor, poor sister Beni – barely lucid from shock of losing both of her legs last time I saw her. Haihane, the perverted troll of the group who never failed to either get an amused giggle or a blush from her targets – stumbling about, holding her hacked off arm with her other. Uzume, as talented at weaving silk as she was with trolling with Haihane – perhaps never being able to speak again after Miya nearly sliced her head clean off. Kara… my Love, she was the only one unharmed at the end… But then again, it's not the physical wounds that hurt the most is it. She was the only one even remotely in Number 1's league.

Miya may have suffered greatly for underestimating Beni and myself but… those were, in the end, mistakes of the lavender haired Goddess. She suffered for her own arrogance and presumption – not because we were even close to her. Had she played it safe, we wouldn't have been able to even scratch her. Miya… Number 1 was strange. Devising the entire plan to die… but then she said that so long as the Tama is intact, the Sekirei lives. Tch, I'll leave that headache for later, I have a feeling that trying to analyse or guess Number 1's motives would be a…migraine or a dozen.

I felt a self-satisfied smirk spread across my lips as I thought the amount of headache my Norito must've caused to Miya. Honestly, it was the ultimate 'fuck you, I win anyway' thing I could've possibly done. I didn't lie when I said that even in death, I ensured that we won in the end. It was unfortunate that I had to do it to my Chiho but…she never really did answer if she wanted to be by our side forever. And as fate had it… we were all out of time for debates and second thoughts. I really could only hope that Chiho would find it in herself to forgive me…eventually. Even if it took an eternity or more, it would be fine – after all, time was something she now-

"I think I can get you out of here."

"What?" I think that had this been the real world, my neck would've broken from the whiplash. The man looked strangely focused, an intense look on his face as his red eyes bore into mine. His voice was firm and full of conviction that instantly made me realize that he was certain of his words. He truly believed he could deliver on them.

"Up to this point…you've had my interest." I spoke slowly, my expression hard as I stared back. "But now, you have my attention."

He glanced upwards and then back at me, his face blank. At this, I slowly relaxed the hold I now had on him…slightly. We both knew now that he had no way out but to continue – I wouldn't let him escape.

"You see," He rubbed his chin as he began to pace once more, his eyes never leaving mine. "Before I was slain I took several… measures, lets say, to allow me to come back once more."

"I left behind…." Here he grimaced, disappointment and disgust on his face. "Descendants of sorts. While they were pathetic failures, I still had some hope that perhaps, in time, at least some of them would break free of their failures and evolve enough for me to possess them and resurrect myself that way."

"As you can see," He chuckled mirthlessly. "I've seen nothing but millennia off disappointment from them."

"Some came close." He continued after a minute of silence he took to compose himself. "Others still managed to wake bits and pieces of myself within them – never enough for me to act through them but enough for me to use their senses and in some rare cases even communicate primitively during their sleep."

"Though them I tried to find other ways to resurrect myself." He mused. "Magic is such a powerful and versatile tool that I thought that it might be the key. The key to my freedom."

"Yet you're still here." I remarked plainly, content on letting him talk, interested to see how this long speech ends up with me living again.

"There are ways, but always limited." He frowned. "Some I enacted but they'll take hundreds of years more to come to fruition – if ever. Others still cannot be used on someone like me, but-"

"But you think they can used on me?" I raised an eyebrow, inwardly tense as I started to feel the gray blanket of melancholy slowly begin to stir. There was a way out after all it seemed! At this point, I didn't care if it was science or some hooky pocky witchcraft bullshit or even a gods be damned deal with the Devil himself. Hell at this point I'd even - …never mind, I don't think I am desperate enough for something like Lovecraft yet.

"There is a ritual, created by the same man who managed to defeat me." I watched carefully as the man smirked in irony. "He and some other fools created something they call the 'Holy Grail'. An object of power that would even humble me – provided they ever got it to actually materialize that is."

"This 'Grail'," He continued, the smirk still on his lips. "Call forth 7 Spirits whose deeds caused them to transcend after death into Legend. The grail consumed 6 Spirits after they die and, with incredible amount of prana, gives the last Spirit standing a Wish."

"Considering you don't qualify," I reasoned seeing as he wasn't able to use it. "What makes you think I will work? Your world doesn't even know I exist."

"And that's where you're wrong." His smile widened, threatening to split his head into 2. "The reason I don't qualify is due to several restrictions placed by my Enemy onto the 'Grail' preventing things like Gods or Types to be summoned. It also wasn't able to summon several other things but…well, let's just say that I found a way around it."

"With special preparation, I believe you can be summoned." He glanced upwards. "You're certainly powerful enough to be."

"…I thought you said only Legends could be summoned." After a minute of thought I decided to point out the obvious hole in his reasoning. "I am no such thing."

And this is where you're not quite right." He paused for a moment, relishing in my dumbfounded surprise. "There's a reason why I was so…excited to find you once I realized what you were."

"You may believe that you're not the Gate to Akasha." He took a step closer and leaned forth. "But in this case what's important is what Others Believe. For thousands of years they believed that there's a way to get to Akasha – that there's a Gate or something alike to that. You personally might not have a Legend…but there is one you can use."

"Not to mention there's a backup plan," He leaned back, giving me space to think. "You're powerful enough to be summoned even without a Legend. After all, the Legend is used to be the power source for the ritual."

I nodded at that. Thanks to the power given to me by the myriads of souls, I could see how this would work. This….this could work! Although, I do wonder…

"What makes you think I won't just use the wish for myself?" I inquired after some more thought. "Why do you think I'll use it to resurrect you?"

"The reason is simple." The man smiled widely, this time showing quite a few wicked sharp teeth. "Only I can use the Grail properly. That way around I mentioned? It corrupted the Grail, ensuring that trying to use it for any other reason than my revival would be…catastrophic."

"I see." I replied flatly, thinking on this. Of course nothing can be quite so simple. Ha, what was I thinking about just minutes ago? Deal with the Devil? This guy wasn't the Devil but, for all intents and purposes, to the people of the world nearby he was the closest thing. Still, it doesn't matter to me. Honestly, I really had no other option then to take him on his offer and hope he comes through. What else would I do, stay here until the end of all time? Just the thought alone made me shudder. The fact that this chance was given to me at all was nothing less than a miracle.

I smiled sadly. Once more, I'd fight for the fate of the world and humanity. Once more I am locked into a dubious tournament of sorts with the prize being a wish giving object. Except…this time, it looks like I'll be fighting to End this world rather than save it. How ironic.

On the positive side, there's a lot less contestants, I thought as I slowly got up and shook off the thin layer of snow. And I don't give a shit about them or about anyone else on this world which will be damn nice. For once, I won't have to constantly hold back, playing nice. The only possible worry I will have is that they guy staring up at me will betray me. But then again I mused, at least I'll be alive once more.

"What is your name?" I asked after getting up. "And how do I contact you once I am alive?"

"You can call me Brunestud." The man's red eyes gleamed as a happy and slightly unhinged grin spread across his features. "As for the details, we will figure something out."


	2. Gate:Re Start

Note: Apperently - judging by the lack of angry replies - so far so good! Let's hope it lasts...

Note: Just an FYI - this is first person. This means that whatever the main char says (and any other for that matter) doesnt have to be truth. It could be a lie/misdirection/lack of knowledge/half-truth/etc.

Note: Also, this is Fate/Stay:Night and Sekirei crossover. Not Fate/Zero or any others...I have difficult enough time following the triple mess that is Fate/Stay lol...

* * *

"You know," I casually stretched, watching Brunestud meditate. "You still haven't explained to me just what the hell Gaia, Akasha, Aristoteles and other crap really are."

"Is now really the time, Rei?" His crimson eyes opened and he focused his gaze on me, disgruntled. "I am finishing up the preparation for the ritual; my connection to this failure of a descendant of mine is practically non-existent at all. Any distraction could result in him getting the wrong message or worse!"

"Aren't you concerned that sending me unprepared will compromise this chance of yours?" I asked my lack of preparation definitely a concern for me. I have this one chance to return and the fact that I may lose it due to Brunestud rushing things is quite aggravating. I've waited for this chance for far too long, I could wait a little bit more now rather than lose it entirely. Going into this new world completely unprepared and knowing nothing about it whatsoever was something I was definitely not eager to do. If they can summon Legendary Spirits and have people who can take on Brunestud…

Speaking of which, just who the hell is he? From the tiny scraps he told me, this 'Traveler' is an Aristotele – whatever the fuck that is – and he was sent in by Gaia – ah yes, the so called 'Spirit of the World' – to destroy Humankind. With him came another Aristotele – Type Mercury, what kind of a name is that? – but they decided to sleep instead. Brunestud, on the other hand, went around the world, met new people and – quite likely – killed them too. And then someone killed him. Ha, I smirked, that must've been a fight to see. I couldn't imagine him simply falling over and dying after all.

"Look," I turned to him, eyebrows raised as he spoke out. "I'll stay here, in your Reality Marble or as you call it, Inner World. This means, that whenever you go to sleep we'll be able to meet and communicate. I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

"However," He continued right away. "You must understand. Time is a flexible thing here so I need to get this done as soon as possible. I'd rather have you arrive early then late, these 'Grail Wars' last only a couple weeks at most once everyone is summoned after all."

After seeing my nod he smiled in return.

"Don't worry," He closed his eyes once more. "I will do everything I can to ensure your success… even give that failure of a descendant my blessing once he becomes your Master."

"My…what?" Brunestud opened his eyes again and looked at me warily, my ice cold tone clearly setting him on the edge.

"Masters are the ones who summon and anchor the Servants – the Legendary Spirits." He explained carefully. "Normally, Servants can't exist without their Masters who feed them prana and provide the anchor to the world. Without a Master, Gaia would reject the Spirit from existence as they are unnatural to it. A failsafe of sorts, making sure that no Spirit decides to roam the world for ever after killing their Master."

"…Is that all?" I pressed on, tired of the 'Traveler' evading the heart of the matter. "These Masters wouldn't just happen to have something that allows them to enslave their Servants…right?'

"All Masters receive 3 Command Seals – 3 absolute commands the Servants Must obey." Brunestud replied evenly, his eyes on me. "Supposedly, a single Command Seal can be overpowered with sufficient will but 2 or more are impossible to resist. However, these Command Seals are a finite resource and getting more is impossible."

Silence settled over the roof top as we watched each other. Brunestud waited for my reaction while I tried to reason with myself – a feat that was proving to be surprisingly difficult. The very notion that someone other than Chiho could be a Master for me was Alien. A simple impossibility. My brain could reason all it wanted but my Tama would accept no one but Chiho. It was simple, really. Anyone who tried to subjugate me and wasn't Chiho would die. Period.

"I'll give this 'failure' of yours 1 chance." I finally forced myself to say, practically fighting myself the whole way. "But the moment they try to order me, I'll murder them."

"I see." The man replied simply. "I passed it along."

"Speaking of passing along," He got up in a single fluid motion. "You should get ready; the ritual could begin any moment now."

"That's…fast." I remarked, watching him. "Weren't you just talking to him?"

"Time flows strangely here." Brunestud shrugged. "We are far enough from the planet that it's time constant isn't quite so constant anymore at all."

"Besides," He grimaced. "From the little I got from that fanatic, he'll get started immediately, cover and preparation be damned."

"You should be ready to fight the moment you arrive actually." He added as an afterthought after a second. "Humans do not get along with my descendants at all and this ritual is bound to attract quite a bit of attention if all goes according to plan."

I merely nodded as I turned back to watching my world. Seeing as Brunestud wasn't going to be answering my questions, there was little else to do here anyway. Besides, human presence was really irrelevant. All I'd have to do was swap up into the Spirit Realm and that'll be the end of that. Nothing from the Living Realm can affect the Spirit Realm after all and vice versa.

Honestly, my plan so far was simple. Get summoned, gather information, kill the opposition – going after the Masters sounds like the best idea. Really, just the whole 3 Ultimate Commands were enough of an excuse for me to go specifically after the Masters. Speaking of which, I sincerely hope that this descendant of Brunestud is an agreeable person. I'll need them, at least at the start, to get myself some armour and weapons. I may be sitting here in my red and gold armour along with my swords in my sheaths but my real armour and blades were back on Heaven's Feel, on my cold corpse.

Afterwards… well, if they prove to be a decent being maybe we'll stick together. Otherwise, I'll just force this Gaia to accept my presence. Whatever this being is, if they called upon the likes of Brunestud for help then they can't be all that powerful. I should be able to overpower them…I think. I mean, I really haven't used my accumulated might for anything. Crushed and annihilated a couple souls to test it but that was just brute force. Tried to use it to move myself but no matter what I did it ended in a failure.

Okay, so I won't force the issue. I'll legitimately try my best not to kill this 'Master' when they slight me. I'd really rather not try to take on this so called 'Spirit of the World' really – not without more information. Who knows, maybe it's an Elder God from Lovecraft or something. I shuddered, mentally making a note to smack Haihane for getting me to read the Necronomicon. As if I didn't face enough real horrors…

"How do I know who your descendant is?" I asked, still watching the horizon, eager to get Lovecraft off of my mind. "Do they have a name, similar looks or something I can use?"

"They should have red eyes…" Brunestud took a seat nearby. "Actually, I have no idea how they look like. Just ask if they are a Dead Apostle or, as humans occasionally call us, a Vampire."

"A Vampire." I asked incredulously.

"I am not particularly keen on that name myself." The man shrugged, misinterpreting my surprise. "But it should be enough to recognise them."

"Oh, almost forgot." He snapped his fingers. "Dead Apostles can't be the Summoning Masters, yet another failsafe. But they can be Masters of a Rogue Servant."

"So someone else summons me and then your…Vampire, kills them to steal the link?" I clarified abscentmindedly, still coming to terms that Brunestud was apparently some Vampire Ancestor. Huh, considering he came from outside, does that mean that the vampires of this reality are Aliens? No, seriously. Alien Vampires. Probably Magical Alien Vampires too if my luck holds.

"Just a forewarning." I stared at Brunestud with steel. "If your descendants are some sort of bullshit Magical Alien Vampires who sparkle under sunlight I'll annihilate them all."

"…Most of my failures of descendants fall apart under sunlight." Brunestud spoke slowly, clearly wondering if I had perhaps had a bit too much alone time here in the void. "They most certainly do not…sparkle."

"Oh good." And with that a silence settled back in. Brunestud was clearly confused about the whole thing and I simply watched the horizon, waiting for the-

"Huh." I frowned as I felt…something. It was as if a link was established to me directly and I felt souls begin to travel down it to me, instantly transferred through my Gate. I also felt a slight pull down this channel as if all those souls were a…swap? Just what the hell is this ritual?

"I'll wait for you here," Brunestud distracted me as he put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed a bit. "Good luck."

I barely had the chance to glance at him and nod when I felt 5 more strands connect and begin pulling me. It was…weak. It felt as if had I so much as twitched the wrong way, all of those ephemeral connections would've shattered instantly. So I carefully willed myself to move with the strands…to the usual effect. As in, nothing happened. The strands pulled my consciousness away from my body…soul…uh, something? Anyway, only a relatively tiny part of me was pulled away, the rest remained in the same place. I still felt the rest of myself easily and the connection was crystal solid so I merely remained still, letting myself be carried.

I tilted my head, curiosity rising, as I began to hear things. A voice was chanting…something. I couldn't tell what it was but the voice was…female? It was also familiar to me somehow and full of resigned fear. It grew – from a barely audible whisper to an easily audible voice as if the person stood right behind me. But I still couldn't understand what she said, it was as if the meaning escaped me…or something blocked it. On closer look, I could see not 6 but 7 strands pull me, except that the 7th seemed almost non-existent and focused more on the rest of the strands rather than me. I bet I could get rid of it but right now I was too cautious to so much as twitch – so fragile were the strings that pulled me. So I let it be, just watching.

Suddenly, I was assailed by a conglomerate of most random images and scenes imaginable. Some – like the location of Fuyuki, the city where the Grail is located, the knowledge came – was useful. Others – like schematics and gear shift of a manual car – were…odd. I mean, I guess learning to drive a manual – a concept obsolete and practically useless in my time – might come in handy but why the hell would I need something like a mechanical pocket watch? I mean, I guess it's interesting to know just what was inside Kara's pocket watch that she inherited from Dietrich but…

Suddenly, the pull abated quite a bit, even as I could tell that I was almost there. The voice, it's incantation illegible but an instant ago, suddenly was clear.

"If you answer the call of the Holy Grail and if you submit to my will and reason – respond!"

And once more the female voice descended into gibberish, something preventing me from understanding. The same 'something' which just happened to be the 7th string – suddenly hell of a lot more powerful and solid. Nothing I couldn't break but it was far too entwined with the other strands for me to break safely. Hmm, I guess that that is the Grail itself huh? It won't let the summoning complete until I agree to these 'Terms of Service' so to speak. Well, nothing to it, I mean – I already agreed to this when Brunestud explained it.

The moment I thought that, the pull suddenly accelerated and 7 sigils lit up before me – transferred from the Grail connection. One of them was grayed out, clearly unavailable or something. I barely had the chance to acknowledge them when they all – save for the grayed out one – flared into life and I could feel each one reach out and try to interact with me somehow. I didn't know what they did but slowly, 1 by 1, they dimmed until only 1 remained. For a second it glowed softly until it flared and…locked? I couldn't explain how I knew, but I now knew that that sigil is my…class? The hell is that?

The Grail answered me the moment the question formed in my head. Each Spirit is assigned an archetype – a class – that fits what their Master want and fits their skillset the most.

I was distracted from the sigil as suddenly I felt...arrival. My eyes widened as I felt that I'll arrive in but a moment to where ever I was being summoned. I made to ready myself – my hands gripping the hilts of my blades – when the Grail suddenly sent a powerful pulse. It took the advantage of this moment of surprise and helplessness and I felt a trio of chains wrap around me. The Command Seals, the realization came to me. They disappeared almost as instant as they formed, but I could feel them, their existence so very real if intangible. The Grail used it's connection to me to install them and at the same time explain to me that their existence chained me to reality – to this…Earth. And finally, in the last moment, it told me what my sigil meant – what class I was.

Assassin.

* * *

My Arrival wasn't very…stable. I felt myself slam onto the ground, the shock of the rapid transition unbalancing me. All around, quickly dissipating smoke obscured my surroundings. Not that I paid them any attention. I was far too busy staring at my hand that I lifted before my face, examining it and – more importantly – the world's effect on it. In my Inner World I controlled Everything. Even subconsciously. Now…now I relished the simple feeling of air and the pressure, the smoke itself. Relished, knowing that it wasn't me who ordered it to exist.

I…I was alive once more…

A whoop of joy distracted me and I finally took a look at my surroundings. Surroundings that made me blink and look again. I stook in a complex looking circle on the roof of some building in what looked like the center of a small town. All around me was blood and corpses. Dozens, no, hundreds of corpses in various stages of dismemberment. And right before me were 2 people – the only ones alive here. A blond man with red eyes and an unhinged grin who did what looked like an extremely weird victory dance with his bloody ritual dagger on the spot. And-

"Ch-Chiho?" I whispered, unable to comprehend what I was seeing. Before me, in a hospital gown, her light brown hair almost silver under the bright full moon, stood my Ashikabi. She looked a bit different – extremely tired, wary and with deadened eyes – but it was her! She even startled a bit when she heard me and our eyes met for a moment.

"Ah yes, I almost forgot." The man suddenly stopped as he saw us look at each other. "Thank you for your help Miss Hidaka and goodbye!"

And with that the vampire drove the dagger in his hand into Chiho's throat.

* * *

Reply: I did consider Rei as Saber. But she really doesn't fit the class. I mean, she'd be the most underpowered Saber of all time. If anything, Kara should be Saber. Ah yes...the picture of her blasting her Norito at Gilgamesh...

At least Kara's Norito can rival quite a few Noble Phantasms. Rei on the other hand...

Question: I am wondering about adding an Appendix of sorts that explains the world/abilities/etc as they appear. It'll be put into the end of the original story but I wonder if it's even warranted...


	3. Gate:Close Again

Even as the blonde vampire drew back and Chiho fell down, her hands rising, trembling, to cover the fatal wound that gushed blood – I dashed forth. My longswords blazed to life with ethereal blue light with barely a though and slashed through the man – once, twice, thrice. In a split second he came apart in a spray of gore and blood as both he and Chiho hit the ground.

I grimaced as that pile of gore, viscera and meat fell on top of the girl and paused for a moment – collecting my thoughts. It quite suddenly dawned on me that I killed the man who was to be my guide in this world and that this wasn't My Chiho. I couldn't feel our bond and when I recalled how she looked like it was clear that she was a bit older. Unlike My Chiho who looked like a high school teen, this one –

A horrible gurgle disrupted my thoughts as I watched the pile of gore shift slightly, confused. Wait, she was stabbed in the throat! A fatal wound but not an instant death! She'd live for seconds more until she drowns in her own blood… I…I could save her. She might not be My Chiho but she was still Chiho! The girl who became the Disciplinary Squad Ashikabi. The girl who became My Ashikabi! With her as my Master…

I dashed over and shoved the pile of flesh and blinked in confusion as it suddenly turned into ash, leaving behind only a blood drenched young woman who vainly tried to inhale and instead gurgled as blood flooded her lungs. She looked at me desperately, her lips moving soundlessly. I knelt by her side, smiling mirthlessly.

I've already condemned my Chiho through the use of my Norito. Should I… I mean, it's really a difficult and very loaded question. In order for me to use a Norito and not instantly die I needed an Ashikabi. It should be an easy decision really, kiss Chiho and then use my Norito. Or probably get rejected from existence in a little bit from now due to the Grail and this Gaia.

Time, why does it always come down to Time? My Chiho ran out of time and I had to force the decision – happiness of my Ashikabi versus the lives of her and my family. Here…here the stakes were… If I do this…

"Do you want to live?" I asked the worthless question anyway. We both knew what the answer would be even before the young woman nodded feebly. I gently lifted her upper body and held her carefully even as I kissed her. My ethereal blue wings burst into being even as I slowly leaned back.

"I shall be your guide," I said softly, staring into the brown eyes full of confusion before me. "Let us walk the Path of Eternity together, forever."

Then I raised my free hand and put it on her solar plexus and smiled sadly, knowing that even though the count was down to seconds and Chiho had but a few moments to live, I still rued the necessity of using my Norito. I knew that I should be thanking the Heavens for the impossible paradox that is my Norito, for the ability to save those I loved but…

"By my Ashikabi's Will, I seal this path." I uttered, my lips twisted in a sad smile. "This Gate is Closed and none may enter. Gate:Close."

I staggered a bit, almost dropping my precious cargo as practically all of my energy drained through my hand and into the dying girl I held. Pale blue flame quickly washed over my Ashikabi's body and dissipated into hurriedly fading motes of ethereal blue light. I breathed harshly, trying to recover my breath, keeping my eyes on my Chiho. I knew my Norito took hold and I knew that it was all over but… but I wanted to stay with Chiho, to watch her final moments, to be there with her as she changed. I couldn't do this for my – other – Chiho but I'd be damned if I don't stay here with the girl I condemned during her final moments as a human – as a mortal. As I sat, I felt my connection to my main body supply energy and within moments I felt normal again…as normal as I could be, watching my Ashikabi die.

It didn't take long for the young woman in my arms to succumb to her wound. She lasted far longer than I expected of a human with such an injury. Almost half a minute since my arrival and here I sat, surrounded by blood, dismembered corpses and my Ashikabi's body in my lap. Aside from that last part, pretty typical honestly.

It was with trepidation that I watched as pale blue flame suddenly erupted from her solar plexus and washed over her, again dissipating into motes of ethereal blue light in moments. I looked over Chiho's body and sighed, my Norito worked – exactly as expected. The young woman in my arms – aside from a blood soaked hospital gown – was in pristine condition, not even a hint remained of what killed her but a few seconds ago. Even her pale brown hair was untouched – for all of 1 moment until the pool of blood we sat in soaked it once more. I watched her for a few seconds before putting her down gently and standing up.

Well, if she wasn't waking up for the moment, I'll let her sleep. Might as well check out the nearby area at the moment. Brunestud did say that humans were at odds with his descendants and – I glanced at the dismembered corpses of men, women and children – I could see why. Unless the government of this place was utterly incompetent, they'd do something about an entire town getting culled and they'd probably be fast about it.

I wasn't worried about Chiho, well, not anymore. Now that she was my Ashikabi I could sense her regardless of distance between us, no matter where in the world or… I paused, my eyebrows raised in disbelief. Apparently even my main body could sense her and it wasn't even in this world! Huh, go figure. I guess I really couldn't lose her anymore. And now that I closed the Gate for her I was completely relaxed leaving her sleeping in this unknown territory. Nothing could kill her anymore after all and, if she gets hurt, I can easily rush over to her aid.

The town was completely dead – literally. Even cats and dogs laid with the human population of this town in 5 gigantic corpse heaps that circled the town and I am also guessing that the ritual – whatever it was – scared the smaller critters away. It was…scary actually, to walk in a giant necropolis where the only sounds were that of your own footsteps and the echo created by them. Even bugs – which should be plentiful from the forest surrounding the town – were completely silent. I kicked a pebble and then shuddered as the sound echoed in the dead space before me.

Eager to not do that again, I instead decided to focus on other things. Like how this place actually looked quite like any other minor town back on my Earth. Same traditional buildings, same asphalt roads, same flickering lights… The cars looked like some of the cars the antique dealers had though. Maybe I really would need that knowledge about driving manual here…

Shaking my head I instead drew one of my blades and stared at it. It was…amazing that I had my armour and weapons here. Exactly as I remembered them too, I thought as my gauntleted hand slowly moved down the blade. The longsword was exactly as I remembered it, the same smoky blue metal as rigid and sharp as the day I received it as a gift from Dietrich. Crafted from the hull armour of the space ship we Sekirei came to Earth on it was…perfect. Ever sharp and stout, the unyielding metal that took the heat of a star to melt was simply…perfect.

After all, my blades survived unblemished even Kara's most furious assaults – even her Corruption couldn't touch the metal – and it even disregarded Miya's blows. I rubbed absentmindedly my solar plexus beneath which my Tama rested. I wish my armour – the same one that Miya didn't even notice – was made of the same material but Minaka would never let that stand. Swords were one thing but armour of the same metal would make me an incredible cheat in the Game he administrated.

It was amusing, I thought as the longsword lit up in a soft blue glow. I always really relied on overwhelming power and only really fought tactically when I couldn't. My Gates allowed me to do that. No armour, no barrier, no weapon, no power could block my Gates. And, as amazing as these blades were, they really were redundant – something I could use for less lethal takedowns if prompted. I could open my Gates with a fingernail if I so wanted to after all and they would be just as deadly as the ones opened through my swords. Armour though…

I was never as fast as an Enhancement Type Sekirei. I mean, provided they trained as much as I had of course. As an Irregular Type, my strength always laid in other fields than brute combat. Armour helped to offset that disadvantage. Although my speed was never really up there, my durability and stamina allowed me to keep fighting until I landed a single blow. A single solid blow was really the only thing I ever needed.

Unless, of course, it was someone like Kara. My Captain could literally waltz around me, the fact that she was Enhancement squared let her do that – as aggravating as that one duel was. I really just had to pray that there was no one here who came even close to the level of bullshit that was my Lover or Number 1. If they were…well…

I broke out of my thoughts once I climbed to the roof of the local hospital – the roof I was summoned on. The town was completely dead. Not a single being survived the massacre that the blonde vampire orchestrated. Truly an impressive feat. Terrible, but impressive nonetheless. I almost found myself regretting killing him. Had he not attacked Chiho, he would've been a useful person to have on our mission. But oh well, nothing to it but to lean on the edge of this railing and take in the slowly brightening sky. I'd take Chiho, even if it wasn't really My Chiho, over Anyone else anytime.

Which really returned me to the next problem. Where do I go? There was no one left alive in this whole town but me and my sleeping Ashikabi who still had yet to wake. It was a rather strange thing actually. Why wasn't she awake? The guy I tested my Norito on was always awake after each time I killed him – rather annoyingly so. Which is why I let her rest, I may know a few things about my Norito but hardly enough to answer question like that.

My Norito, my ultimate ability, I smirked at that. It was…amusing really. All Sekirei could use several abilities with an underlying element or them of sorts. For instance, my younger sister, Benitsubasa, was Enhancement, Shock. So all of her abilities used shock to some degree and as an Enhancement type all of them were either self-targeted or had to rely on physical contact. Not that she let that limitation stop her from leveling entire buildings with a single stomp of her foot.

I on the other hand had only 1 ability. Gate:Open had many interesting ways it could be used in but at the end of the day it was like comparing a Swiss army knife to a toolkit. I was hoping my Norito would help with that but… What I got was yet another single ability and this one was far less flexible.

Gate:Close… I glanced back at Chiho momentarily before turning to the upcoming dawn. Where I could twist Gate:Open into many uses, forcibly Closing a Gate had only 1 use. All beings once dead passed into the Other Realm. I call it Spirit Realm for simplicity's sake but I could feel it was hardly so simple. The few tidbits let out by Brunestud only confirmed my suspicions.

Opening the Gate allowed me to swap an area directly to the other side. Doing so damaged the Living World – something that in itself could be used to devastating results in combat – but it recovered and repaired itself quickly enough not to be an issue. Closing the Gate on the other hand…well, it did exactly that. It prevented the target from going to the other side. Ever.

A paradox was created. Once a person dies they Must go to the other side sooner or later, no exceptions. However, the Target of my Norito was not able to go to the other side for the Gate was Closed. A paradox was created. Seeing as both conditions Must be fulfilled, the Universe solves it rather elegantly. If a person Must go to the Other Side when dead And they Cannot go to the Other Side then they are obviously Not Dead.

Meaning that for all intents and purposes, my Ashikabi was Immortal. Not even the destruction of this Universe would annul that. Long past we are nothing more than a memory and far longer past that, Chiho would still roam the multiverse. Even when the world dies, she'll merely go to another via the Gap-Between-The-Worlds. Truly, a horrifying fate.

Short term thought it was brilliant. Regardless of what was done to Chiho, a quick wave of blue flame and there would be no hint of such a thing.

Though there was one more problem, I thought as I sat beside my sleeping Ashikabi. My Gates do not work on her anymore, meaning that I cannot take her to the other side with me anymore. An…inconvenience really. Without that, she would have to take the long way around everything.

It also meant that when the inevitable response team arrives, I will have to fight them…or risk carrying my Ashikabi away. I am not risking waking her up for her sleep is obviously unnatural. I'd just have to be very careful if I decide to move her… Not that I'd know where to go really. Sure the destination if Fuyuki City but where the hell where we and how do we get to Fuyuki from here?

It also means that if someone attacks I have no choice but to stand and fight. Fight for –

"What the hell?" I muttered as a blue glow behind me attracted my attention. Twisting around I found fading motes of light drift away from Chiho's body. I shifted to turn myself towards her and carefully inspected my Ashikabi. There were no changes whatsoever; she laid there just the same as when I left the first time, breathing softly. So…why had the renewal effect of Gate:Close triggered? She was here the whole time with me and I can't sense anyone else around. She's still sleeping too so that rules that out. What's going on?

Did something really go wrong with my Norito? It doesn't seem to be the case but perhaps I should keep an eye just in case…

"Huh…" I muttered minutes later, staring at Chiho, the touchscreen terminal integrated into my gauntlet forgotten. The renewal triggered again – once more for no visible reason. I closed my terminal, more interested in this phenomenon then trying to get a signal. Wherever we were, there wasn't any anyway. And it's not like MBI satellites exist here so…tough luck. Looks like we'll have to go into the unknown at dawn because there's no way in hell I am staying here and waiting for Chiho to wake up. For all I know there was a poisonous gas here or something that's causing the renewal to trigger. Hell, even staying the night wasn't particularly smart now that I think about it.

I glanced at the tip of the sun just rising above the trees and sighed. In one smooth motion, I picked up my Ashikabi and made for the edge of the 3 story building. Once we were in safety I'll spend more time figuring out what was wrong and why the renewal process kept triggering…randomly…

I stared at Chiho who glowed a constant soft blue light, barely visible under the morning sunlight. Slowly, I lowered her just so that she was in the shade and watched the glow break off into the familiar motes of ethereal light. Then I lifted her into the light again and stared incredulously at the light show before me.

"What the fuck is going on!?"

* * *

Random Thoughts: Making Chiho the Master was a quick decision but the more I thought about it... The more I understand that it's not that Chiho should summon Rei. It's more that she literally couldn't summon anyone else but Rei. After all, the allignment of an Ashikabi and their Sekirei is so close/strong that the only one with higher chances would be Shirou summoning EMIYA and thats literally because he'd be summoning himself. (Interesting thought, is there a fic anywhere where EMIYA is summoned by Shirou? And doesnt instantly gib him?)

Anyhow, had Rei actually been in the Throne of Heroes, Chiho would've been able to summon her conventionally much like Shirou managed to summon Altria... but alas...

Reply: So Yea, there were hints and foreshadows of Rei's Norito throughout Number 51. Hope that that's out of the way now... Hope it explains why she was so reluctant to ever use it before(and after). Also, its a bit funny for a Disciplinary Squad Lieutenant of all things to have a non-combat oriented support Norito. (That being said, I've known what her Norito was/would be since conception. It wasn't something I did for a joke.)


End file.
